Pumpkin - Friday
For background see the posts about my concerns about Pumpkin, and the subsequent trip to the vet. After that visit I was cautiously optimistic about his chances, but after 5 days or so of treatment I am far less hopeful.
At first he seemed to respond well to the initial painkillers, and showed more interest in moving around. This also meant he had more opportunities to fishtail, lurch, and ultimately lose hind footing entirely. This has become worse over the last few days to the point he can manage no more than 3 or 4 steps without his legs going again. Maybe half a dozen if he works up some momentum.
Last night after we put them away for the night he made an enormous fuss so I went to soothe the savage beast. Near to him I found a piece of poo on the tiles. This is not unheard of - he's had occasional accidents where some has stuck to his fur and travelled a short distance from the litter tray. But then I found another, and another - a total of 4 separate pieces all leading to the tray where there was a 5th. I think it most likely that he made it to the tray but was unable to maintain the necessary squatting posture so ended up with poo in his fur when was then shed as he walked/staggered away.
This is very bad. Not the poo distribution part - cat poo is easy to collect and not particularly noxious. Worse things come out of cats on a regular basis and paper towels are my friend. But it's not good if he's losing the ability to take care of himself in the most basic of matters. I doubt he's now able to scratch himself behind the ear. I don't know if he can still wash all over. I think he's been drinking a bit more than usual too.
He's not suffering, but there is some distress in his whiskers. Mostly he seems bewildered when he falls and can't get up. This afternoon it was easy to assess his movement because I had only to stand a few feet away and he did his best to come to me to lick, smooch, and purr. After, that is, falling over both his feet and mine.
The outlook is not good. It's possible all he needs is more pain medication, but I fear the evidence points to mechanical failure for which there is no recourse. It's worrying how quickly the situation has deteriorated. The next few days are critical. We see the vet next on Monday. Wish us luck.
At first he seemed to respond well to the initial painkillers, and showed more interest in moving around. This also meant he had more opportunities to fishtail, lurch, and ultimately lose hind footing entirely. This has become worse over the last few days to the point he can manage no more than 3 or 4 steps without his legs going again. Maybe half a dozen if he works up some momentum.
Last night after we put them away for the night he made an enormous fuss so I went to soothe the savage beast. Near to him I found a piece of poo on the tiles. This is not unheard of - he's had occasional accidents where some has stuck to his fur and travelled a short distance from the litter tray. But then I found another, and another - a total of 4 separate pieces all leading to the tray where there was a 5th. I think it most likely that he made it to the tray but was unable to maintain the necessary squatting posture so ended up with poo in his fur when was then shed as he walked/staggered away.
This is very bad. Not the poo distribution part - cat poo is easy to collect and not particularly noxious. Worse things come out of cats on a regular basis and paper towels are my friend. But it's not good if he's losing the ability to take care of himself in the most basic of matters. I doubt he's now able to scratch himself behind the ear. I don't know if he can still wash all over. I think he's been drinking a bit more than usual too.
He's not suffering, but there is some distress in his whiskers. Mostly he seems bewildered when he falls and can't get up. This afternoon it was easy to assess his movement because I had only to stand a few feet away and he did his best to come to me to lick, smooch, and purr. After, that is, falling over both his feet and mine.
The outlook is not good. It's possible all he needs is more pain medication, but I fear the evidence points to mechanical failure for which there is no recourse. It's worrying how quickly the situation has deteriorated. The next few days are critical. We see the vet next on Monday. Wish us luck.